This invention relates to a waste transportation unit, more particularly a unit with an easily accessible, fully enclosed containment space, for use in areas such as airports, where safety and efficiency are of primary concern.
The traditional means of waste transportation at airports, and other areas with similar needs, generally consists of a wagon or cart-like structure, with four walls mounted on a platform and a set of supporting wheels. The garbage is usually manually thrown over the side of one of the walls, and into the containment area, to be transported by a towing vehicle to another location for disposal.
While this arrangement is somewhat satisfactory, it does not provide a fully enclosed area to securely contain waste. As a result, garbage will often fall, or be blown by wind, over the edges of the cart or wagon and onto the ground. This can occur while the unit is stationary, or while it is being transferred to a disposal site. The garbage may also be exposed to rain, resulting in a mess and causing the garbage to become heavier, thereby making it more difficult for personnel to unload. In areas like airports, loose garbage can raise safety issues, cause damage to costly mechanical equipment and inconvenience loading personnel. Therefore, a need remains for a more secure and efficient method of waste transportation in such areas.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a safe waste transportation unit that is secure and capable of keeping garbage completely contained while it is being transported or stored. It is a further objective of the invention to provide a waste transportation unit that allows for waste to be quickly and efficiently loaded and unloaded by personnel.
Regarding the first objective, a transportation unit that is equipped with a fully enclosed waste containment area is provided. The waste containment area is a box-like structure, consisting of a floor, two end walls, two side walls and a top cover. Each side wall includes a large hinged door, which contains a smaller sliding door within. During the storage and transportation of garbage, the doors remain closed and secured, so that the garbage cannot fall out of the containment area, or be blown out by the wind. This ensures that the outside area is kept free of loose garbage which may cause safety issues to arise, or damage costly mechanical equipment. Furthermore, the fully enclosed containment area reduces the inconvenience experienced by the loading personnel, who would otherwise frequently be forced to stop and retrieve stray garbage.
The fully enclosed waste containment area of the unit is secured to a frame supported by wheels, to allow for the waste to be transported after it has been loaded into the unit. The unit is towed using a tow bar and is equipped with fifth wheel steering. As a safety precaution, a braking mechanism, which locks the front wheels is provided for when the unit is not secured to a towing source. Each unit is also equipped with reflectors on each corner and on all sides. To maximize efficiency, a rear hitching system is in place to enable several units to be linked together so that they can be towed at one time and by one source.
The second objective of providing a transportation unit that is capable of securely containing garbage, without detracting from the efficiency of the loading and unloading process, is achieved by the addition of a dual access door system to each side of the waste containment area. The two door system is composed of one large door and one smaller door.
The large door attaches by hinges to the side wall of the unit, allowing it to be swung open for the unloading of the garbage and swung shut during storage or transportation. A handle is provided to facilitate the opening and closing and a hydraulic shock is attached to the upper corner of the door to hold it open while waste is being unloaded.
The large door also contains a hollow portion that forms a pocket into which the small door slides. The sliding door is particularly useful during the loading of garbage into the unit, as the narrower space prevents any loose garbage from falling out of the containment area. The sliding of the small door into the larger door is accomplished by virtue of a ledge that runs continuously along the inside of the large door, from one end to the other. The small door is equipped with wheels to assist in sliding along the ledge and into the hollow pocket of the larger door.
In a broad aspect, then, the present invention relates to a device for transporting objects, including a wheeled undercarriage and an enclosed containment area.